Criminal defense

It's standard procedure any time a California state trooper, sheriff's deputy or local police officer pulls someone over on suspicion of drinking and driving: the officer asks the driver to blow into a device that measures the level of alcohol in their system. Police...

Ever since ambitious gold prospectors flooded the West Coast and con artists followed to siphon their spoils, embezzlement has been a part of California's legal landscape. What exactly is it, and are there ways to prevent it? What is embezzlement, legally speaking?...

People who fight criminal charges at jury trials in California have the right to choose whether or not to testify. If they do not, the juries will be instructed that they cannot use their silence as evidence against them to infer their guilt. While defendants have the...

Can even a one-time-only and nonviolent criminal offense have lasting adverse consequences for a charged and convicted individual? Legions of Bay Area and other Northern California residents know from personal experience that it can. And they are in good faith trying...

Eyewitness testimonies are commonly used with evidence to determine if a suspect is guilty of a crime in California. Unfortunately, eyewitness testimonies aren't as reliable as many people assume; human error can significantly affect the outcome of a case. What can...

Many people are forced to deal with the long-standing problem of racial bias. This isn't only a problem in California courts; it continues happening throughout the country. With that said, many people are recognizing this problem and working on ways to stop it....

The comments from a nearby restaurant patron angered you. You tried to ignore him, but the vitriol kept spewing out of him. Yes, this is the time of COVID-19 with the need to social distance, but also a time where strong opinions seem to overtake regular...

California police stops linked to alleged behind-the-wheel driving come with materially varied “facts” in any given case. Despite that sheer allowance concerning realities surrounding any detention, though, at least a couple things stand out as commonplace and even...

Few felonies are more serious than first-degree murder, which is punishable by death or life in prison in California. The emotional impact of being charged with such a serious crime can overwhelm many. Fortunately, several effective defenses ensure those falsely...

Police in California have taken a man into custody in connection with two unprovoked violent assaults. Both of the victims were elderly women who were attacked while out walking in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. The 34-year-old man has been denied bail and...